Car-unloader.



R. G. FLEMING.

CAR UNLUADER.

APPLICATION man DEC. 2, 1915.

1,21 3,177. Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

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FIG-URE. 6

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R. G. FLEMING.

CAR UNLOADER.

APPLICATION FILED DEc.2, Isls.

Patented 12111.23, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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R. G. FLEMING.

CAR UNLOADER.

APPLICATION man DEc.2,1915.

1,213,177. Patented Jan. 23, 1917.Y

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

FIG-URE IO F1GUR7 lNvENToFz www HIS ATTORNEY as is well known, flat cars or gondolas ROBERT Gr. FLEMING, OF SAN J OSE, CALIFORNIA.

cAa-UNLoADnRf Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

Application filed December 2, 1915. Serial No. 64,707.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT G. FLEMING, a citizen of the United States, and resident of San Jose, in the county of Santa Clara and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car- Unloaders, of which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates to a machine for unloading flat cars or gondolas. At present,

loaded with sand, gravel, broken stone or other material in condition for shoveling are unloaded almost entirely by manual labor.

It is the main object of my present invention to obviate the necessity of employing bodies of men for this purpose by constructing a power driven machine which can be positionedover a car and caused to rapidly and effectively empty the same.

Other objectsv are to provide a mechanism of the character indicated that can be adjusted longitudinally of a car, that is adapted for use' with any height of car, that can be transferred from one carrier to another, that can be disassembled for transportation, and that can be used for unloading cars of any width.

Further yobjects and advantages will appear in the following description and in the accompanying drawings in which,-

Figure l is a rear elevation of my machine in position. Fig. 2 is a. plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 4l is a detail perspective of the top elevator sprocket'in position, parts being broken away. Fig. 5 is a detail elevation showing the rollers on the lower bar of elevator carrying frame, parts being broken away. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the elevator tilting and shifting mechanisms, parts being broken away. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one method used for raising and lowering the framework of my machine, parts broken away. Fig. 8 is a detail perspective showing the method of securing the frame to the car, parts broken away. Fig. 9 is a detail perspective showing a method of joining the upper and lower parts of the framework, parts broken away. Fig. 10 is a detail perspective showing a preferred form of carrying belt, parts being broken away.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

face of truck 1 bybolts 8. Cantaliver arm 9 consists of two similar, parallel alined sides 10 and 11 rigidly fastened together by suitable cross bars and braces as 12 and 13 and is removably secured to the upper end of support A by bolts as indicated at 14, and

is suitably balanced and braced to withstand` the stresses and strains to which it may be subjected.

Rigidly mounted on the top of cantaliver arm 9, spaced a distance apart greater than the width of the Widest car to be unloadedk and projecting over the side of the projecting portion of said arm 9 are two brackets 15 and 16 respectively, provided with bearings 17 in which shaft 18 revolves, and connected by beam 15a.

A conveyer belt 19 is shown operated by rollers 20 and 21 mounted in bearings 22 and 23 Vrespectively ,in cantaliver arm 9, bearings 23 being adjustable in order to permit taking up the slack in belt 19 as indicated at 23a. Idler 24 is mounted in arm 9 in such a manner as to raise the lower half of belt 19 and keep the same free from the framework and working parts of the machine, and idlers 24a are inserted to give additional support to the upper half of belt 19. A sprocket is indicated at 25 rigidly secured to the shaft of roller 20 and is driven as hereinafter described. Shaft 18 has a sprocket 26 rigidly secured thereto and is square throughout a portion of its :sol

length as indicated at A, this distance A representing the limit of transverse adjustment of elevator frame 27, and is made square so that the elevating parts may be driven by shaft 18 and at the same time permit the adjustmentA above referred to. The elevator frame 27 is preferably made as indicated in Figs. l, 2 and 3, properly braced and provided with bearings 29 and 30. Collar 31 is mounted so as to revolven in bearings 29, said collar 3l being adapted to slidably engage the square portion of shaft 18. Rigidly secured to collar 31A is sprocket carrying endless chain 33, which in turn carries buckets 34. it the lower end. of frame 27 is revolubly mounted sprocket en shaftv SG re "olving in bearings 8U, said sprocket 35 also engaging endless chain 3:3. Elevator frame 27 is of such a length that when in a perpendicular positionit. is adapted for use in the lowest cars; therefore when a higher car is to be unloaded means must be provided by which the elevator can be operated at such an angle, as at28, as to just clear the floor of said car. To accomplish this 1 provide a tilting mechanism. as follows: Bearings 17 are provided with hubs 37 upon which are revolubly mounted bars 38, said bars 38 being connected at their free ends by bars 39 and 39 passing through the elevator frame as shown. Pivotallyfattached to bars 38, andnear the lower ends thereof, by bolts 40,v are ratchets 41, the same restingon supports as 42V secured rigidly to side 10 of arm 9. Engaging ratchets 41 are gears 43 keyedzto shaft 44 mounted on arm 9 in approximately the` position indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and having a gear 45 keyed to one end thereof driven by worm 46. Worm 4G is .operated by shaft 47 and hand w ieel 48; therefore when hand wheel 48 is operatedathe elevator frame 27A will be forced outwardly or inwardly as the case may be, with shaft 18 as a pivot. Rollers 49, 50 and 51 are revolubly mounted in frame 27 in such a manner as to engage bari-39, androllers 49a and 50a are mounted in frame 27m suclr :manner as to engage bar 39a and thus permitthe free transverse movement of elevator frame i7 irrespective of the angle at whiclritmight be positioned. rlhis transverse adjustment is effected bymeans of the cables 52 and 52a secured to elevator frame 27-by' suitable fastenings as 53 and 53', and the cables are operated by the following mechanism: At 54 is a hand wheel operating-shaft54a and worm 54h, which in turn operate gear 54". Gear 54C operates sprocket 541. ori-shaft 54e and thereby drives chain 54f operating on sprocket 55 which runs idly upon shaft 18. To sprocket 55 is secured bevel gear-56 which meshes with bevel gear mounted on vertical shaft 58 which is held-in position by bearings 59 secured to onebar 38, and step 60k on bar 39. Secured to shaft' 58v are scored wheels 61 and 61, and secured to the opposite bar 38 are scored pulleys G'Qand 63. By means of this mechanism elevator frame 27 may be shifted fromI one side of the car to the other by turninghandv wheel 54, sprocket running Y loosely.L on shaft' 18 pormittingthis adjustment Vto be made regardless of the angle to whichthe elevator frame 27, and ofcourse bars 38, may be positioned.

At 64V is shown a shaft mounted in bearings 65 secured to standard 4. At 66 is a sprocket keyed to shaft 64 and driven by engine by means of chain 67. At 68 is shown a shaft mounted in bearings G9 posil tioned in arm 9 in approximately the position shown and driven by sprocket 70 keyed thereto, chain '71 and sprocket 72 keyed to shaft (54.

73 indicates a shaft at right angles to shaft G8, mounted in bearings 74 and having gears 75 and 7 6 and sprocket 77 keyed thereto7 said shaft 73 being driven by bevel gear 7 6 meshing with bevel gear 78 keyedto shaft 68. Chain 79 connects sprocket 77 with sprocket :25 which completes the mechanism for driving belt 19. A sprocket! 80 keyed to shaft 81 mounted in bearings V82 is connected to sprocket 26 by chain 83 and is driven by a bevel gear 81a'keyed to saidV shaft 81 and-in mesh with bevel gear 75, thus providing the driving mechanism for shaft 18 and the parts secured thereto.

By the above description it may beseen that the conveyer and elevator' are'operated simultaneously and at predetermined relative speeds from main shaft 64, the power beting. applied by means of any. ordinary clutch mechanism operated by a lever as 84.

At 85 are indicated guards which preventl material from being` thrown beyond the con-l veyer when the elevator is in operation.

As it is sometimes desirable to swing arm 9 andelevator frame 27 clear of the main track, a curve is provided at each end of thetrack 2 upon which truck 1 travels in order that said truck can be driven ineither direction around a curve and so swing arm 9 clear of the main track.

Inasmuch as a fiat carrier belt wouldA not retain all of the load placed upon it a conveyer having` sloping' sides as shown at 92 will usually be used.

Having thus described mv invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:-

1. 1n a car unloader, the combination with a support, an arm extendingl from said support, a conveyer operatively positioned insaid arm, an elevator operatively attached to said arm and longitudinally adjustable with relation thereto and pivotally adjustable in a plane perpendicular to said arm, of means for effecting saidlongitudinal adj-ustment, said means comprising a pivotally mounted frame adapted to move with said elevator in the" pivotal adjustment thereof, one or more 'cables attached to said elevator and operating. over pulleys attached to one side of said frame and pulleys mounted on a shaft positioned near the opposite end of said frame, and means for manuallyfoperating` said shaft.

2. In a car unloader, the combinationV of a support, an arm extending from said Support, a eonveyer operatively positioned in said arm, an elevator operatively attached to said arm and longitudinally adjustable with vrelation thereto and pivotally adjust able in a plane perpendicular to said arm, a pair of auxiliary arms positioned at right angles to said arm, a shaft operatively positioned in said auxiliary arms and having driving means connected thereto, a frame pivotally mounted on said shaft and adapted to move with said elevator in the pivotal adjustment thereof, means for pivotally adjusting said frame and said elevator, and means for longitudinally adjusting said elevator in said frame, said elevator being pivotally mounted on said shaft and being provided With a plurality of rollers adapted to engage the top of said fra-me and a plurality of rollers adapted to engage the bottom of said frame.

` In testimony whereof I have hereunto ailixed my signature this 22nd day of November, 1915.

ROBERT Gr. FLEMING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

